A triple whammy of gangland violence, all in one neat package.

Say hello to my little friend, a triple box set of the best British gangster films from the last ten years. First up is Steven “Traffic” Soderbergh’s underrated The Limey. Now, I know what you’re thinking. It’s not British. Well yes, but it is about an Englishman abroad (cockney Terence Stamp) trying to find the man who killed his daughter, firing bullets and indecipherable rhyming slang at anyone who even looks at him. All of which makes it highly enjoyable, obviously.

Not so, Paul McGuigan’s (The Acid House) cold and unflinching Gangster No 1, touted at the time as a Get Carter for the 90s. Malcolm McDowell plays Old Gangster, a loathsome has-been staggering around his dwindling empire, gripped with nostalgia, listening to crooner Tony Bennett and reliving past triumphs. But, hey, enough about McDowell. Told in flashback, it all tries a little too hard to be hard as the nameless Young Gangster (Paul Bettany) ruthlessly usurps gang boss David Thewlis, eventually stripping down to his underpants for what has to be the most peculiar murder scene of recent years.

Guinness-ad director Jonathan Glazer’s debut feature Sexy Beast is in a league of its own, thanks to a truly psycho central performance from Ben Kingsley. He plays Don Logan, off to the Costa Del Sol to tempt big-time bank robber Dove (Ray Winstone) out of sun-kissed retirement. Don’s persistence is amusing and scary at the same time, with his lethal hair-trigger temper giving the film a real sense of danger, and Kingsley an Oscar nomination. The dialogue is often hilarious and the director’s visual flair makes it all beautiful to watch. Not your usual gangland fare then, and all the better for it. Now get out there and buy it. JC 19 September 02

3 dvd box set, released 23 September 02.